Method and apparatus for treating orchards for frost and plant pests



April 1942- L. G. SCHULTZ I 2,280,267

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR TREATING o cHARDs FOR FRosT AND PLANT PESTSFiled Feb. 1, 1940 Jrwcri; Z [20 6! 615061423 Patented Apr.- 21,1942

METHOD AND, APPARATUS ron'rarza'rmo ORCHARDS FOR. FROST AND PLANT 'PESTSLloyd G. Schultz, New York, N. Y. Application February 1, 1940, SerialNo. 316,784

12 Claims.

The present invention relates to an improvement in smudge creating meansfor use in frost protection in orchards and is especially useful for usein citrus fruit orchards'or groves.

A further advantage is that the smudge creating fuel is in the form of acombustible briquette, and is preferably made of compressed, absorbentfibrous material, preferably of a vegetable origin, and which isimpregnated with a, preferably hydrocarbon, residual waste distillate,which not only creates a heated smudge creating vapor during the burningthereof, but also simultaneously acts as a bactericide and insecti-'cide during use.

A further important feature of advantage is in'the use of a metalcombustion control means which islight in weight, takes up very littlespace in transportation and has provision thereon for screening theflame of the fuel, thus limiting the height of the flame of the burningfuel.

This latter feature is of great importance in orchards, where the lowerbranches of the trees, as in customary practice, are kept very low andclose to the ground, and the flame of the burning fuel is thus kept fromcharring or burning such lower limbs or branches.

In present practice the currently used smudge pots or stoves arequitelarge and heavy, and the transporting means, usually a horse drawntruck, cannot carry very many of such stoves, usually three or four, andthus in the case where a large orchard'or grove is threatened by frost,the distribution of stoves at strategic points is slowed down, and someof the trees do not obtain the frost protection before the stoves areset, fueled and ignited. In this particular instance the bulk and weightof the stoves compelsthe truck to make many trips to the place ofstorage of the stoves, and greatly delays their distribution.

The present device being made of wire, is light, and as will hereinafterbe d'e'scribed ...in, ileiail, are nestable in groups, and thereby takeup little space, individually, and a truck can quickly and continuously,in a single trip through the grove, deliver a large number of saidimproved combustion controls at the desired points.

The foregoing, and other features ofadvantage will be apprehended as theherein description proceeds, and it will be obvious that modificationsmay be made in the structure and methods herein disclosed, withoutdeparting from the spirit hereof or the scope, of the appended claims.

In the drawing;

Fig. 1 is a sectional view of the control device in elevation taken onthe line li, Fig. 2 looking in the directionof the arrows, showing afuel briquette in burning position;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the control device;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view showing a plurality -'of controldevices, nested, for economy in space.

In practice, the present combustion control device is of a skeletalstructure, shown fully in Fig. 2, and comprises a preferably rectangularwire frame I, forming a jointless rim and also having four downstanding,outwardly slanted wire legs 3-33 and 3, which are joined to the top I atthe corners 6, preferably by welding, Fig. 2, the legs, as viewed inFigs. 1, 2 and 3, holding the top forming frame I parallel to and atthedesired combustion control distance fro the ground line G, Fig. 1.

The top forming frame or rim l supports a metal wire mesh or screen 2,of suitable fineness, as to mesh dimensions. The ends of the wires ofthe screen 2 may berolled or turned around the metal of the framei, asshown at 8, Figs. 1 and 2, and thus bind the mesh 2 into an integralunit with frame I. The entire structure, as thus described, may begalvanized 'to give it protection against the weather and heat of use.

The fuel for creating the doubly protective smudge described herein, onaccount of cheapness and its natural burning qualities, is preferably inthe form of a briquette B, Figs. 1 and 2, containing a waste distillatewhich is the result of refining natural petroleum and other oils, and

, the best distillate for the herein purpose is that made from the crudeoils obtained from the States of Texas and Louisiana, amongst others,because the waste distillate obtained from reflning the crude oils ofthese States contain a very large amount of sulphur, which when burned,gives off a suflicient volume of sulphurous. acid with the smudge to actupon the plant by the mesh portion 2.

ignited, any flames l emitting therefrom are prepests and bacteria todestroy them, during the smudging operation.

The operation of the smudge system herein disclosed is simple, buteffective. A briquette B,

.Fig. l, is placed on the ground G, and a control is so located that thebriquette B is superposed When the briquette is vented by the screen 2from passing therethrough, thus keeping the flames from rising higherthan the plane of screen 2, butpermitting the rising of the vapors ofcombustion therethrough. -The combustion control means herein,

thus acts on the same principle as the Davy miner's lamp.

The height of the screen 2 from the ground G, is suited to the averagelocation of the lower branches of the trees in the grove.

In transporting the control devices from place to place, the outwardflare of the legs 3 permit the nesting of a series vof said controls, asis illustrated in the fragmentary sectional view in Fig. 3.

Having thus described the invention what is claimed is:

1. A smudge flame control device comprising a square substantiallyhorizontal frame; a screen mounted on said frame coplanar therewith andmade of small, heat conducting wires spaced to prevent flame fueledbeneath the screen from rising through the screen toa height dangerousto nearby vegetation; and supporting legs attached to said frame andpositioned to enable said device to be nested with other like devices.

2. A smudge flame control device comprising a substantially horizontalflame limiting screen made of small, heat conducting wires spaced toprevent flame fueled on the ground beneath the screen from risingthrough the screen and endangering nearby vegetation, and to retardcombustion of the fuel in the flame at the screen and thereby facilitatethe production of smoke; and an open support for said screen.

' 3. A nest set of flame-height control devices for burning smudgeproducing material, said set comprising, in combination, like deviceseach comprising a rectangular substantially horizontal frame; a screenmounted on said frame and substantially in the plane thereof and made ofsmall heat conducting wires sufficiently spaced to rapidly conduct anddissipate the heat of a flame of fuel beneath the screen; and supportinglegs attached to the corners of said frame and directed downwardly andoutwardly to enable said device to be nested with other like devices;said screen widely distributing and radiating heat to the surroundingair and preventing passage of flame above a height dangerous tooverhanging and nearby vegetation; the dissipation heat of the flame,retarding the combustion of fuel in the flame at the screen and causingunburned particles of fuel to produce increased quantities of smoke, andthe space between the legs affording a clear view of the fuel and theamount still unburned.

4. A method for producing lethal smudge smoke, which method comprisesproducing a free flaring flame containing carbon and lethal sulphurcompounds, and cooling an unconstrained horizontal upper zone of saidflame to quench said flame at said zone while allowing free passage ofconstituentsofthe fl'ame to pass through the zone, thereby allowing thegaseous sulphur compounds to be absorbed in particles of unburned carbonand to pass together through said zone in the form of a lethalblanketing smoke having the double function of killing harmful organismsand preventing frost.

5. A method for producing lethal smudge smoke in citrus fruit orchards;which method comprises producing in the orchard a free flaring flamefrom absorbent vegetable matter impregnated with petroleum distillatecontaining sulphur compounds; and cooling an unconstrained horizontalupper zone of said flame to quench said flame at said zone whileallowing free passage of constituents of the flame to pass through thezone into the trees of the orchard,

thereby allowing the gaseous sulphur compounds to be absorbed inparticles of unburned carbon and to pass together through said zone inthe form of a lethal blanketing smoke having the double function ofkilling harmful organisms in the trees and preventing frost.

6. A method for treating orchards comprising producing a free flaringflame to heat the trees of said orchard by substantially directradiation in all directions from said flame and simultaneously coolingan upper zone in said flame to quench said flame in the upper zonethereby producing particles of smoke producing carbon.

7. A method for protecting orchards from frost comprising producing afree flaring flame COntaining carbon, and non-aqueously cooling anunconstrained horizontal upper zone of said flame to quench said flameat all times at said zone while allowing free passage of constituents ofthe flame to pass through the zone, thereby allowing dry and activatedcarbon particles to pass through said zone and form a blanketing smoke,said quenching being non-aqueous and at the upper part of said flame toobtain particles driest and most water absorbent whereby the particlesmay drift adjacent to the trees of said orchard and there absorb andcondense greater amounts of atmospheric water vapor then obtained byaqueous quenching and to liberate increased said trees.

8. A method for protecting orchards from frost comprising producing afree flaring flame containing carbon and fueled on the 'ground in saidorchard, and cooling an unconstrained horizontal upper zone of saidflame to quench said flame at said zone while allowing free passage ofconstituents of the flame to pass through the zone, thereby allowingcarbon particles to pass through said zone and form a blanketing smoke,said flame being fueled on the ground so that in the event of a suddenrise in atmospheric temperature the flame may quickly and easily becovered and smothered.

9. A smudge flame control device for orchards, said device comprising asubstantially horizontal screen made of 'small, heat conducting wiresspaced to prevent flame fueled on the ground heneath the screen fromrising through the screen to a height dangerous to nearby vegetation andto retard combustion of the fuel in the flame at the screen and therebyfacilitate the production of smoke; and widely spaced legs to supportsaid screen, said wire affording large surface for the radiation of heatto the trees of said "orchard,

- the device being free from obstruction between said screen and trees.

10. A smudge flame control device for orchards, said device comprising asubstantiallyhorizontal frame; a screen mounted on said frame coplanartherewith and made of small,

- heat conducting wires spaced to prevent flame fueled on the groundbeneath the screen from rising through the screen to a height dangerouspermit convenient smothering of the flame.

11. An apparatus for producing lethal smudge produced, and the fuelbeing on'the'ground to smoke for, orchard trees, which apparatuscomprises means for producing a free flaring flame containing carbon andlethal sulphur compounds; and means for cooling an unconstrainedhorizontal upper zone of said flame to quench said flame at said zone,thereby preventing burning the foliage and heating said means at said 10zone to supply radiant heat to the trees and allowing free passage ofthe quenched constituents of the flame to pass through the zone, therebyallowing the gaseous sulphur compounds to be absorbed in'particles ofunburned carbon flame-being substantially entirely unobstructed 20 l toallow direct radiation from the flame to the trees and ground tocooperate with the heated zone to effect quick heating of the orchard.

12. A method for producing lethal smudge smoke for orchard trees, whichmethod comprises producing a free flaring flame containing carbon andlethal sulphur compounds; cooling an unconstrained horizontal upper zoneof said flame to quench said flame at said zone, thereby preventingburning the foliage; heating said zone to supply radiant heat to thetrees, allowing free passage of the quenched constituents of the flameto pass through the zone, thereby allowing the gaseous sulphur compoundsto be absorbed in particles of unburned carbon and to pass togetherthrough said zone in the form of a lethal blanketing smoke having thedouble-func- 15 'tion of killing harmful organisms and preventand topass together through said zone in the king frost: and leaving the spaceat the sides of the flame substantially entirely unobstructed to allowdirect radiation from the flame to the trees and ground to cooperatewith the heated zone to effect quick heating of the orchard.

LLOYD G. SCHULTZ.

